Posts tagged with: FIT

Following the release of the Government’s response to the Feed-in Tariffs (FITs) consultation and the news that it has just launched a consultation on the budget management and environmental sustainability of the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), Tom Vosper, Head of Climate Consulting, says:

“The Government has clearly listened to feedback, especially in regards to support for the community sector. However it’s clear from its comments that the Government understands there are issues still to be dealt with, primarily the difficulty faced in researching and developing projects due to the associated costs. Removing the requirement for achieving an EPC level D or above will certainly help community organisations to progress worthwhile projects with more certainty.

“Despite the increased level of administration, we also welcome the preliminary accreditation system as it will give confidence to project developers. However as this preliminary accreditation system will mainly benefit larger individual systems, it won’t entirely reverse the slow-down in the PV market because a large amount of the investment in this sector has come in the form of “funds” for multiple installations rather than one-off projects.

“We believe some of the available heat technologies would benefit from a similar preliminary accreditation system, and would like to see one introduced for the non-domestic RHI.”

Late 2011 and the first half of 2012 has seen global investment in renewable energy reach new, unprecedented heights. Solar power has now surpassed wind power as the most popular renewable technology for investment and here in the UK our solar market emerged onto the international photovoltaic (PV) scene thanks to the tried and tested method of Feed-in Tariff (FiT) reduction. Despite being mismanaged by the government, the UK FiT’s have generated the spark required to move commercial solar investment into the realm of reality. This article will take a look at the current state of commercial solar investment in the UK, what kinds of projects are being considered and by whom.

Investment and funding of commercial solar power projects in the UK has never been a more diverse market. Knowing who has the control of this funding, what kind of projects they are interested in and how to produce viable, attractive proposals for the market of private equity and public investment is becoming an increasingly important and lucrative skill.

Here at Solar Selections Commercial we are competent with the understanding and sourcing of highly suitable clients and interested lenders and would be happy to assist anyone with commercial projects in need of funding to move their projects forwards.

Firstly let’s look at how this market has established itself and where it currently stands.

Large Scale Solar Power in the UK

The first standalone MegaWatt (MW) solar power installations in the UK involved forward thinking blue chip utilities such as Thames Water, major renewable energy manufacturers such as Canadian Solar and offshore equity investment groups like Isolux Corsan. The risk assessments and returns were scrupulously appraised by all involved and this is testament to their eventual success. This has in turn opened up the market for other projects to get off the ground.

What we are seeing now and through 2012 has been more farmers, private conglomerates, property owners and investors becoming involved in the MW scale of solar PV investment. Of importance to all of this local councils, energy utilities and infrastructure services have also adapted their once somewhat prohibitive policies to make solar a more straightforward investment opportunity. Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROC’s) are present and despite an upcoming review in early 2013, are providing some stability on Return On Investment (ROI) figures.

Establishing Viability

As with all investment some opportunities are more attractive than others. We can separate ground and roof mounted solar power systems because the criteria differ slightly for each. It is important to note that whether the funding be private equity based or public, these factors hold equal importance.

Ground Mounted Solar Installation

The more of these considerations a potential site adheres to positively, the better chance that investors are going to be interested and the better returns are going to be involved. Note that this is not a comprehensive list, but a starting point.

The history of the land – especially including previous production capacity such as for agriculture or industry.

The size and location of the land.

Presence of rocks/debris.

Proximity of the area from major roads, communal areas and foot traffic.

Proximity of the land from protected regions of natural beauty.

Status of the land as ‘Derelict’.

The rating and age of the connection to the grid – energy capacity and phases present are of special interest.

Proximity to a suitably sized energy substation.

Potential of a potential Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) client.

Energy usage on site.

How does one know whether the energy usage or substation status of any one potential site is considered positive or not? Best to consult a professional such as Solar Selections; in short, it differs.

Roof Mounted Solar Installation

Roof mounts are similar in most respects. Factors that can affect viability include:

The roof space available for panel installation.

Location of the site.

Orientation and pitch of the roof.

Visibility of proposed panel location to highways and major thoroughfares.

The number of energy meters on-site (triple phased especially).

The status of the site as protected or heritage listed.

The rating and age of the connection to the grid.

The proximity to a power station or substation.

Presence of a potential PPA client.

Energy usage on site.

Types and Sources of Investment

Sites that can tick the boxes on the above considerations are in amazing demand at present. Private equity sources running through brokerages or consultancy firms are especially interested in outright purchases of such leads. Depending on the company rates for commissions to purchase the entire opportunity, finance the required capital or pay as a rental amount differ. For a better idea on what is available for your potential site, contact Solar Selections on 0844 567 9835.

Depending upon the clients profile and security there are many ways funding can be found. Let’s start at the top and work our way down through the various parties and possibilities involved.

‘Low Risk’

Client: For a freeholder or client to be considered low risk, they would need to be substantial, well established and profitable businesses. We are talking about organisations from HM Government to Tesco’s and British Gas to McDonald’s. To give an idea, Tesco’s had a turnover of £62.5 billion in 2010.

Fund: Large, international asset finance groups and commercial fund managers not specifically interested in renewable energy technologies. They would provide excellent rates of interest and usually no upper limit on funding available with a minimum spend of £150,000 being the norm.

An example of this would be Commercial Asset Finance Group Australease (CAFGA) who have an Operational Lease Funding arrangement openly available in the UK. The client needs to be suitable as outlined above and also the freeholder of the site. As well as this they would need to consume the majority of energy from a proposed PV installation on-site. For more details, contact Solar Selections on 0844 567 9835 or go to www.solarselections.co.uk/commercial/commercial-solar-finance-package

Approach: A plethora of options from competitive out and out finance provision to tax-break inclusive operational lease arrangements and roof/site rental agreements with eventual transfer of ownership.

‘Medium Risk’

Client: Established business with healthy balance sheets and turnover in the general range of £1,000,000 to £50,000,000 or public sector clients such as councils. Turnover could differ significantly for private clients on this scale, and comprehensive vetting process would take place to verify assets and suitability.

Fund: Far more open than low risk opportunities, the specifics of site viability come into play more than before. These firms will usually possess some kind of interest in renewable energy above more mainstream investment markets like shares or bonds. Incredibly suitable sites owned by businesses with relatively weak security assurances would still be considered and possible. It’s as much about who you know as what you know in the finance market so best to consult with a professional for further advice.

Approach: More likely to involve partial generation benefit for the client with a view towards eventual ownership after a fixed term or perhaps a site rental arrangement. Usually the tariffs and earnings would be allocated towards the fund temporarily. Still a very attractive prospect for the client considering the lack of Cap Ex required.

‘High Risk’

Client: A renewable energy enthusiast with some land or property looking to how they could generate income from an installation. Generally this would be anyone from a farmer, freeholder of land to estate managers and smaller scale building developers that cannot provide large private or business turnovers or security assets. Realistically capital outlays over £20,000 are beyond this kind of client depending on site characteristics of course.

Fund: Generally smaller, less prohibitive and capital heavy private equity lenders specifically interested in renewable energy. They can also take the form of PV installation companies and their direct partners.

Approach: The Rent-A-Roof scheme is an example of this at a domestic level, as is the more recent cash-flow positive domestic finance. Essentially the client would receive the installation for no or nominal cost but receive limited benefits for the first 10 years or so.

Summary

It’s a complex and often fruitless task marrying up sites, clients and funding in the one project. Each party has it’s own variables and opinions on how best to go about installing a MW or large scale commercial PV installations. On top of this, solar installers differ massively in their capacity to provide experienced, timely and professional installation services. The success or failure of a project can come down to the meeting of deadlines and information provisions as well as the ability of a fund or installer to provide their services as proposed, so vetting is of incredible importance within a potential project.

Solar Selections work with some of the most prominent, experienced utility and large scale solar installers in the world. We also have a network of funding partners such as the aforementioned CAFGA with which we can provide funding solutions for installers with their own clients or direct to clients looking for a complete management service. For specific assistance or advice on commercial solar project viability, funding or installation contact Solar Selections 0844 567 9835 and one of our commercial team will get in touch with you today.

The change in financial support for solar power has been highly controversial and has seen the government lose a high-profile legal case in the high court. The new data lends support to the charge of some in the solar industry that the government cut the subsidy too far and too fast, endangering thousands of jobs. Ministers have defended their actions, saying the scheme they inherited from the previous government was poorly set up and was too costly for the energy customers who ultimately foot the bill.

Greg Barker, the Conservative minister responsible for the solar subsidy scheme, said the changes aimed to end “solar booms” and busts: “The whole point of my reforms is to bring in a much greater degree of certainty and predictability.” He has set an ambition to have 22GW of solar capacity installed in the UK by 2020.

Caroline Flint, the shadow energy and climate change secretary, claimed on Tuesday that this target would take 169 years to reach at the current rate. “For months Labour has been warning that the government’s cuts to solar power would destroy thousands of jobs, cut off a green hi-tech British industry and stop families controlling soaring energy bills. These shocking figures prove that because of the government’s cuts, it will take a staggering 169 years for us to reach our targets for solar power.”

“Many householders are aware that government has slashed subsidies,” Barwell added. “The challenge for us is to make householders aware that’s partly because industry has slashed costs, and partly because solar is so popular. There is no doubt that financially solar remains a great prospect for UK homeowners so there is no good reason why the UK market should stagnate.”

All sides agree that subsidies had to be reduced because the costs of solar panels continue to drop rapidly: the argument was about the speed and scale of the cut.

Here at Solarfeedintariff.co.uk, we would like to see the government support the solar industry more comprehensively and understand that investment needs concrete figures and not hollow promises to work from. The insistence of energy efficiency within the home prior to the tariff being granted limits the number of rooftops where solar panels can be fitted and damaged growth in the industry.

We hope the 22GW capacity mentioned by Mr Barker is strived for and we would like to see more action to support the decentralization of energy within the UK

Next week’s Budget is likely to deal a further blow to Government promises to create jobs and tackle soaring fuel bills by building a clean economy and safeguarding our environment, Friends of the Earth warned today (Friday 16 March 2012).

The environment charity is urging the Prime Minister, who promised to lead the “greenest Government ever”, to ensure George Osborne keeps his pre-election pledge for “the Conservative Treasury to be in the lead of developing the low carbon economy and financing a green recovery”.

There are growing concerns that next week’s Budget will lead to:

• Little action on developing a clean, low-carbon economy
o The UK’s dependency on expensive fossil fuel imports has led to rocketing fuel bills. Developing the UK’s vast wind, wave and solar potential would create thousands of jobs and boost our energy security. But George Osborne has shown little enthusiasm for getting the UK off the fossil fuel hook – and recently inaccurately claimed that moves to boost a clean economy are responsible for driving up energy bills.

• A reduction in safeguards for wildlife and the countryside
o The results of Government reviews of planning and environmental regulations are expected to be announced alongside the Budget. This could pave the way for more building in the countryside and less protection for our wildlife. George Osborne recently told MPs he wanted to make sure that “gold plating of EU rules on things like habitats” were not putting “ridiculous costs” on firms – despite little, if any, evidence to back up this claim.